


Critters and Fritters

by asyling



Category: Video Blogging RPF, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Bob is a volunteer, Chica - Freeform, Ethan and Kathyrn work together in an animal shelter, First Dates, First Impressions, M/M, No one in famous in this, and sharks, ethan helps mark get over his dislike of the ocean, for like half a paragraph, its shark week i had to include my bois, tyler is chillin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 06:42:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15407244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asyling/pseuds/asyling
Summary: Ethan saw many different types of bold animal breeds ranging from tall and skinny to short and fat. What he was not prepared for was a different type of bold character. Especially one that is not covered in feathers, fur, or scales.





	Critters and Fritters

Ethan escorted an exuberant Vizsla by the name of Doogie into his luxury suit, giving the door a few shakes to make sure the lock would not come undone. Walking towards a back room he righteously claimed as his own, he stripped off his nurse-like uniform and shoes. While he was playing in the two-acre field with the multiple dogs in the shelter, a vigorous Border Collie he swears has it out for him sneaked up behind him, leapt in the air, and knocked straight into his back. Ethan would have normally laughed it off and got right back to exercising the pups, but considering he slid in a pile of poop the size of a dinner plate, he was doing everything except laughing.

The tired and sweaty male changed into an extra pair of pants and walked down the hall to the washer room, smelly pants and shoes in tow. He dumped his stained clothes in the washer and added fragrance free detergent, a small laugh behind him not going unnoticed. He turned to see his coworker and best friend Kathryn looking between his mismatched clothes and sock covered feet.

“That’s the third shit covered outfit you’ve had to wash this week, and it’s only Tuesday. A certain Border Collie not fitting your fancy?”

“That dog has a vendetta against me, I swear to God.”

Ethan sat down at the table in the room, ignoring the giggles his friend is doing an awful job at hiding. Ethan groaned and let out a heavy sigh then turned to stare at Kathryn with a tired glaze in his eyes.

“Is the day almost over? I’m so tired, I could collapse right here.”

“Too bad because we have a customer down there who was recommended you assist in finding his best friend. So, go on.”

Ethan let out an obnoxiously loud groan and shuffled his way out of the washer room. He held onto the rails while walking down the stairs, not trusting his weak and tired grip to keep him from not tumbling down the two flights of steps. He stopped in his tracks after going down one flight of stairs as he realized he didn’t have shoes on, only socks. He shrugged it off and continued his quest down the steps and walked down the hall of excited dogs. He opened one of the doors that let to the front of the shelter, and the boys steps faltered a bit upon seeing the man sitting in a chair, flipping through one of the six binders that showcased the animals that reside here. Ethan approached the man, not letting his nerves show on his face.

“Hi, sir! Welcome to Critters and Fritters! May I interest you in some of our pastries or are you here for a possible new best friend?”

The startled man stared at the employee that seemingly appeared from thin air, rocking a light peach top, dark green pants, and white socks with yellow stripes on them. It was quite a spectacle to see. The male let a smile bestow upon his face and stood from his seat, extending a hand to the calm yet equally perturbed employee. Mark was his name and explained how lonely and bored he felt most days and felt he was prepared to take on the challenge of owning a furry friend. Ethan pushed his nerves and blush away then proceeded to ask the man what category of animal he was looking to bring home: dog, cat, rodent, bird, reptile, exotic. A dog is what he explained he was longing for but will not turn his head to any other animal. Ethan proceeded to walk Mark through the six buildings where each category of animal was stationed, saving the dogs for last.

“And here is the final and largest stop of your tour, the dogs! Our shelter accepts all dog breeds and all dog sizes. We house over two hundred dogs here so feel free to roam around, and don’t shy away from asking me any questions you have.”

“Do the questions have to be animal related? Can they be date related? Like you joining me on one?”

Ethan opened his mouth and closed it, no words coming out. He felt his face turn hot and crossed his arms over his chest. He stuttered a semi coherent sentence, explaining he would be down the hall, and bolted out of sight. He reached the break room and closed the door, wincing when he heard it slam. Ethan glanced around the room ad made eye contact with a well-known volunteer, Bob. He gave a shaky wave and dramatically slid to the floor.

“Cute customer problem?”

“You act like I go through this weekly.”

“It’s because you do, Ethan.”

“Well, my freak-out would be justified if you saw him too! Overgrown brown hair, brown eyes, glasses, messy but well cared for facial hair, big-”

“Broad shoulders, deep voice, and a weird goofy smile?”

Ethan frantically nodded, explaining to Bob that was the man roaming the halls, looking for a pup to take home. After some laughter and insults from Bob, he told Ethan that Mark was his friend and told him to request for Ethan to show him around.

“And why in the world would you do that?”

“So you could stop moping around this place like a dick starved baby.”

“But I am one!”

Bob chose not to answer Ethan, but the small employee did not miss the unmistakably shake of Bob’s tall stature. He walked over to the tall volunteer and hit him on the arm, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. He continued his conversation with Bob, enjoying how the lovable giant can make him forget about how tired he was or much his feet hurt from running around with animals all day. While Ethan mostly works in the dog department, he occasionally gets shifts in the other five departments. His favorite being the reptiles. Monty, an eight-and-a-half-foot long crocodile monitor lizard never failed to make his day brighter. The scaly lizard always seemed to sense when he was not feeling well and would curl in his lap. Well, as much an eight-foot lizard can. He visits recently since Ethan is the only employee that Monty will allow in his enclosure or near him. Monty was young, only short of six years old and spent half of his life in this shelter. His apartment does not allow reptiles, especially ones Monty’s size but everyone can be convinced.

A loud knocking echoed throughout the break room and Mark peaked his head in to tell Ethan he was ready. With a wave and promise to hang out later to Bob, the two slipped out of the room, a wolf whistle quietly emitting from the room. Ethan cleared his throat and shook off his nerves, feeling Marks gaze on him.

“So, uh, anyone you’re interested in?”

“Yes, there is, but there’s also a dog I’m interested in adopting as well.”

Mark let out a laugh and Ethan rushed out a response, asking what dog he liked. He led him over to Sephora, a happy go lucky Golden Retriever. Ethan instantly lit up, telling Mark about how good of a dog Sephora is and how she’s able to run around but lay on the couch and watch television if you desired. If she was with you, she was content. After a while, Mark stopped listening and focused more on how excited Ethan was when it came to the animals in the shelter and how quickly he was able to forget his nerves. It was refreshing to see someone passionate about their job and not doing it just for the money.

“-But I think she’ll be an excellent fit for you. What do you think?”

“I agree with you. I also think you would be an excellent fit for me.”

“I-I don’t get where you’re going.”

“I was serious before, you know. About you going on a date with me.”

“Oh. Does this mean you don’t want Sephora?”

Mark allowed a small laugh to exit his mouth and placed his arm on the small of the flustered boys back.

“I’ll be up front filling out the papers.”

Ethan nodded his head and shudder, feeling Marks hand leave his back. He heard a whistle and turned around to see Bob and Kathryn behind him, large smiles on their faces. He flipped them off and walked to the front desk, almost stepping in a puddle of some type of liquid near a cage. Closing the door behind him, he watched as Mark finished filling out the adoption papers. He turned around and handed them off to Ethan with a smile on his face.

“Thank you. We’ll contact you in a few days and let you know what other things you need to do before you can take her home. Are you going to keep the name?”

“No. No, I think I’m going to name her Chica.”

“Chica. That’s an adorable name. But uh there’s some other stuff scribbled on here. What should I do with them?”

“Well, considering it’s my phone number I’d say maybe call me? Or text. That’s fine too. I’m not giving up on that date.”

After agreeing to meet at a park that weekend, Ethan put his number in Marks phone and saved Marks number in his. He waved goodbye, thanking him for visiting, and that he will see him in a few days. He watched Mark walk off with Bob following close behind and closed the door after them. Standing on a step stool, Ethan turned off the open sign, indicating the shelter was now closed. He looked at his phone while yawning and saw he already received a text message from Mark saying he can’t wait to see him again. A tired smile appeared on his face and he pocketed his phone.

Ethan busied himself with cleaning out all the cages: sweeping, mopping, and exchanging all the towels and blankets for new ones. Back in the washer room, Ethan tugged off his shirt and pants and changed into a more comfortable outfit consisting of a muscle tee and sweatpants. Dumping the dirty drool and fur covered sheets in the washer, he glanced over at the rest of the piles and regretted not doing this earlier. Kathryn walked in the room with her arms raised in the air and her mouth open, yawning. With her help, they were able to wash and dry all the dirty towels in under an hour and a half with the help of the washer and dryers in the other buildings.

“So, I heard you and that Mark fellow have a date this weekend?” Ethan rolled his eyes with a groan and turned to face his friend.

“Where did you hear that? We’ve only been closed for about two hours.”

“Mark’s quite the talker. After you agreed, he immediately told Bob and then Bob and I was talking about it in our group chat. You didn’t see?”

“No, Kathryn, I was doing my job.”

“Or you were ignoring your phone buzzing because you thought it was Mark.”

Ethan didn’t answer her and started to fold the laundry in silence, confirming Kathryn's suspicions. Once the clock hit 11PM, they decided to call it a night and fold the rest of the clothes in the morning. Kathryn locked up and they waved their goodbyes at each other, almost dragging their bodies to their vehicles.

Mark took Sephora - newly named Chica - home with the help of a stumbling Ethan and a promise of a good weekend from Mark. It was the weekend, a few hours from his date with Mark and he begged his high school friend Tyler to come over and help him. Not that Tyler was much help at all. He sat in the corner of Ethans bedroom and mindlessly agreed to whatever Ethan was saying.

“Tyler, please! I brought you over here to help and the only thing you’ve done is sit in the corner and gorge yourself on my cookies!”

“They’re good cookies.” Ethan screamed in frustration and laid himself out on the floor, an arm draped over his eyes.

“I told you before to just go with the long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and literally any pair of shoes and you’ll be fine.” Ethan threw a book in Tylers direction

“First of all, you have horrible aim. Secondly, you’re stressing about this way too much. You guys are going to the park. Just wear normal clothes, you doof.”

“You’re the doof!”

Pouting, Ethan took Tylers advice and went for a white shirt, black jeans, and white Nike shoes. Brushing his teeth and trying to do anything with his hair, he gave up and left it a mess. Grabbing his keys, phone, and wallet, he announced his exit to Tyler who only let out a noise of acknowledgement. Leaving his place, he started walking to the park which was only about ten minutes from where he lives. His nerves got increasingly worse the closer he approached the park and wiped his clammy hands on his jeans. He got there much quicker than he liked and almost turned around when he could see Mark sitting on a bench with Chica laying on the grass next to him. Ethan was not aware he was bringing Chica but that was the least of his troubles at that time. With shaky legs, he approached the pair and gave a small wave when Mark noticed him drawing near. Standing up, Mark walked over to meet Ethan halfway with Chica bouncing along right behind him.

“Hey! I didn’t see your car pull in. Almost thought I got stood up.”

“Oh no, I walked over. I don’t live far.”

Chica took this time to prance around him, her body swaying side to side from how hard her tail was wagging. Ethan bent down and wildly pet Chica, laughing at how excited she was. He looked up to see Mark looking down on the pair, an easy smile on his face. Clearing his throat, Ethan stood up with a red face.

“Shall we go?” Ethan glanced over with confusion on his face.

“We aren’t staying here?’

“No. God, no. What do you take me for? A park? For a first date? Weak.”

Ethan giggled and followed the pair to his car, ignoring everything in him screaming not to get into a strangers vehicle. Twenty minutes filled of horrible singing and hysterical laughing, they pulled up to a small pet beach. Chica was clawing at the door.

“Pet beach?” Ethans face was sore from the large amounts of laughing he endured.

“Yeah! Even though I don’t like the ocean, I like the beach and wanted to bring Chica to one. I even found a pet beach that isn’t well know, so it’s never full.”

“I don’t know whether to find that cute and laugh at you being scared of the ocean.”

“Hey now, all I’m saying is that is too much water to swallow.”

Ethan opened his mouth to respond and shut it. Figuring what he was about to say probably would not be a smart thing to say on a first date. Mark climbed out and opened his truck, pulling out the average beach goer necessities. Mark handed Ethan a pair of shorts and sandals to change into if he got uncomfortable. Ethan thanked him with an irregular heartbeat and went behind a tree to change. He jumped in place and shook his hands before walking out to find a shirtless Mark chasing Chica who was in turn chasing some seagulls. Smiling, he walked further down the beach and called out Chica’s name. In a flash, she changed her direction and came barreling towards Ethan. Mark walked over to the bouncing pair, hands on his hips, and panting heavily.

“Alright you two, break it up. I’m tired and wanna lay down.”

“Too bad old man. We’re going in the water!” Mark waved his hand and shook his head.

“No, you’re going in the water.”

“Yeah! With you.” Ethan ignored Marks protests and grabbed his wrist, dragging him to the ocean.

“It’ll be fun, I promise!”

“Yeah, for the sharks. They get a free meal.”

“Dramatic.”

Mark grumbled under his breath but let himself be tugged to the one part of this place he was hoping to avoid. A man going to a beach but not wanting to be in the water. He stared down at Ethans small hands wrapped around his wrist, feeling how dainty they are. He shook his wrist free and before Ethan could ask any questions, he grabbed his hand and folded their fingers together. Ethan glanced up with a shy look on his face and darted his eyes back in front of him, seeing how close they were to the ocean.

“Come on, we’re here! I’m getting you in the water whether you like it or not.” Mark racked his brain for an excuse.

“But uh, what about Chica?”

“Chica is by the car, playing with her toys.”

“What if she runs away?”

“Our dogs have trackers. Get in the water.”

Mark threw a hesitant look Ethans way and Ethan sent a reassuring smile. They walked forward, letting the tide get their feet way. Slowly, they were far out enough for the water to reach Mark’s chest and Ethan’s neck. Mark stood in a rigid manner while Ethan was swimming around, splashing him with water. After more splashing, a little taunting, and a few scares of sharks being in the water, Mark and Ethan were happily swimming in the ocean, not caring how loud they were being. Chica even made an appearance, scaring Mark to the point where he peed. He can say he didn’t, but Ethan knows the water doesn’t magically get warm all the sudden.

“See how nice it is? And you were scared a shark was going to come eat you.”

“One will!”

“Like this one?”

To Mark’s horror, Ethan lifted a baby nurse shark belly up to the surface. Ethan swam towards him, laughing at how frantically Mark was trying to get away. Ethan turned the pup right-side up and carefully let it go, watching it swim further down the beach.

“You’re evil!”

“Don’t be a baby. It was harmless.” Ethan slid his feet through the sand until he walked out of the water, Chica there to lick the saltwater off his legs.

“Only because you hypnotized it like some weirdo.”

“I put it into tonic immobility, you square.”

Mark laid down a towel and argued back and forth with Ethan. As Ethan laid on his back listening to Mark go on about how sharks and how well Chica is accumulating, he thought about how much fun he had today and hoped they could do this again. Once the sun started to go down, Ethan helped Mark pack up everything and shake as much sand and salt off him as he could. They loaded Chica in the car and buckled up, but the car wasn’t moving. He turned his head to see Mark happily looking at him. He grabbed his hand.

“I’m so happy you came with me today. I had a lot of fun. Even you almost killing me with a shark” Ethan scoffed with a smile on his face.

“Still dramatic but thank you for bringing me along. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my weekend anywhere else.”

Mark pulled Ethan in a hug, feeling the other man tense up. He was going to let go when timid arms wrapped around his waist. They stood there for a little while and would have stayed for more if Chica didn’t start barking in the car. Mark laughed to himself and Ethan didn’t move, feeling his chest vibrate. He let go and wordlessly climbed into his car, letting out a small yawn. Ethan gave Mark directions to where he lived and fought off sleep the whole way. He didn’t realize how tired he was until he sat down. Mark pulled into a parking lot and thanked Ethan again for a fun day. After agreeing to another date next weekend, Ethan gave Marks hand a squeeze and climbed out the car, not before saying softly petting a sleeping Chica.

Ethan reached his door and turned around, still seeing Marks car parked. He smiled seeing that he waited until he got inside. With a wave from Ethan and a honk from Marks car, he drove off and left the neighborhood in silence again. Ethan let out a yawn and opened his bedroom door to see Tyler fast asleep in his bed, tangled in his sheets. He sighed and grabbed a blanket from his closet. Not bothering to change or shower, he collapsed onto his couch with a tired smile and fell asleep to thoughts of Chica’s new and handsome owner.

**Author's Note:**

> Not only was this my first post on this lovely site, this was my first time dabbling in fanfic! I don't ship this but I think it's cute so hey, here I am. It's not the best and it's not the worst. Thank you for reading it! (:


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